Indian Motorcycle Breaks Three Land Speed Records

When Indian announced earlier this Spring that they were going to have Lee Munro , Burt Munro's great nephew, race a purpose-built bike to honor the Kiwi's 50th anniversary of his longstanding speed record, they didn't let on that they were also going to try for a few records in the process. But that's exactly what they did during test runs at El Mirage, California earlier this week.

Chet Michaelson, engine calibration technician at Indian Motorcycle was the first record breaker in the M-PG (Modified-Pushrod Gasoline) 2000cc class. Piloting a 2015 Indian Chief Classic across the dry lake bed, Chet eclipsed the record of 151 MPH with a speed of 154.132 MPH.

The second Indian rider was Lee Munro riding the Spirit of Munro 50th anniversary 2017 Indian Scout. Competing in the MPS-G (Modified Partial Streamliner) 1350cc class, Lee needed to exceed 167 MPH for a new record. He shattered it by nearly 20 mph with a recorded speed of 186.681 MPH.

The final Indian rider was Dan Gervais, senior engine calibration technician at Indian Motorcycle. He competed in the M-G (Modified-Gasoline) 1350cc class with a lightly modified 2015 Indian Scout. Dan clocked a speed of 154.354 MPH and edged out the 153 MPH record giving Indian its third record of the day.

In August, Lee Munro and the Indian race team will take the Spirit of Munro Indian Scout to the Bonneville Salt Flats, not to break his great uncle's mark, but to make a run to honor his great uncle's legacy in the world of motorcycling.